Today's peek is from a story included in the "Melting the Snow" Anthology, "Holiday Cure for the Cursed" by Lindsey Gray.
Daniel Digby is cursed by
his good looks. After years of sexual harassment, he’s convinced wearing a
wedding ring is the answer to fending off unwanted attention.
CiCi Newport is cursed by
her family’s money. When men look her way, all they see are dollar signs. After
two years, her “no dating” rule is still in place.
Excerpt
CiCi
was nervous. She wasn’t sure her dark, skinny jeans and chocolate-colored
sweater with her knee high brown boots was her best casual outfit. After
changing three times, she’d ended up wearing the outfit she had on in the first
place. In all of her twenty-seven years, she could not remember putting so much
effort into her appearance to attract a specific man.
The
front door of Villanova’s opened, and she realized it was too late to worry any
longer. He had entered the building.
The
illusive He noticed her right away
and held up a finger, signaling he would get a drink and be right over. She
continued to take deep breaths until he came over to join her. He took off his
coat and made himself comfortable in the chair across from her.
“No
rushing off today?”
“No.”
He sipped his drink and sighed. “I don’t have any meetings until mid-morning,
so I have a little extra time. What about you? No portfolio today?”
“No.
I had a meeting yesterday, but the project is basically finished, so I have a
couple weeks off.” She took a long, luxurious sip from her own cup.
He
smiled and nodded. “With all this free time on your hands, I suppose having
coffee with strange men is out of the question?”
The
introduction she had been dreading. As soon as he heard her last name, either
the dollar signs would glow in his eyes, or he would run away from the lady who
wrote children’s books for a living. Maybe it was time to try something
different.
“I’m
CiCi. And you are?”
His
Adam’s apple bounced when he swallowed. “Daniel.”
“Okay,
Daniel. Now we’re not strangers.”
He
smiled. “CiCi. Not strangers now. Might I be so bold as to ask what you might
be doing with all this free time?”
“Besides
meeting you for peppermint mochas?” she asked with a mischievous twinkle in her
eye.
“Well,
that’s a given at this point,” he said with a dimpled grin.
“Maybe
see a show. There is an exhibit at the Natural History Museum I wanted to check
out.” He raised an eyebrow at her answer. “Or I’ve heard about this roller
derby tournament this weekend. Maybe do a little Christmas shopping. Oh, and
I’ve been invited to a club opening. I might drop by.”
“Roller
derby sounds promising.” He laughed before taking another sip.
CiCi’s
heart fluttered, and her stomach flipped at the melodious sound. She knew it
was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
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Author Bio
Lindsey Gray dreamed of
several different careers as a child. On the short list were doctor, chef, and
actress. None held her attention as much as putting pen to paper and creating
her own world through words. Since 2010, she has published three novels and one
short story with The Writer's Coffee Shop Publishing House. In 2013, she went
on her first self-publishing adventure and produced her novella,
"Fireworks."
A mid-west native, Lindsey enjoys spending time with her husband
and two children, rooting for the Green Bay Packers, reading whatever she can
get her hands on, and making life interesting at every turn.
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